All Eyes On Belfast

As part of Guinness PRO12’s BIG WEEKEND of interprovincial action, Munster travel to the Kingspan Stadium to play Ulster this Friday night at 7.05pm.

On the pitch it promises to be an exciting affair with Ulster’s Charles Piutau claiming some of the most eye-catching performances of the season so far, while for Munster Tyler Bleyendaal has oozed class in the campaign to date, purposefully marshalling his side around the field and confidently slotting his last ten Championship kicks.
 
The battle at 10 will make for interesting viewing on Friday.  Both Paddy Jackson and Bleyendaal have scored 40 PRO12 points in the current campaign and both will take confidence from their respective Champions Cup appearances over the weekend.  Jackson slotted a last gasp drop-goal to secure victory for Ulster over Exeter while a man-of-the-match performance saw Bleyendaal guide Munster to a 38-17 win over Glasgow in which he scored the opening try and landed five from five off the tee.
 
Both sides boast a number of impressive PRO12 performers.  In terms of the pack, CJ Stander has made the most carries of this season’s Championship (82) while Billy Holland has made the most tackles (90).  Out wide the fleet-footed Darren Sweetnam has made no less than 10 clean breaks.
 
Nor is there any shortage of players to cause Munster serious headaches on the Ulster side.  The experienced and assured head of scrum-half Ruan Pienaar will astutely assess options at breakdown while the Ulstermen’s backline could feature two of the Championship’s Top-3 record try scorers in the form of Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble.  Bowe has scored more PRO12 tries than any other player on 64 while his fellow winger Trimble is in third on the all-time list with 44.
 
Ulster’s unbeaten start to the season finally came to an end in Round 6 where they met a resurgent Connacht side who, following a slow start, have returned to the form that netted them their first PRO12 title last season. 
 
Munster, despite their immense Champions Cup performance on Saturday, will still be keen to avenge their last PRO12 outing where basic errors in both defence and attack made it all too easy for Leinster to record a 25-14 win in round 6.
  
Despite tripping up at the Aviva Stadium, the men in red have not lost back-to-back fixtures in the Championship since April with Ulster not losing successive PRO12 encounters since February. 
 
The size of Munster’s task this weekend is evident in the host’s home record of late – Ulster winning their last seven matches in Belfast in all tournaments.  That said, Munster are unbeaten in their last four meetings with the Ulstermen and should Munster win or draw this weekend, they would go three games without defeat in Belfast for the first time since the Second World War.

Either way, it's sure to be a hugely contested affair with no more than four points separating the sides in the last five encounters.
 
Ulster v Munster, Guinness PRO12 round 7, Friday October 28^th at the Kingspan Stadium – ko 7.05pm.
 
Referee: Nigel Owens (WRU, 139^th competition game)
Assistant Referees: Gwyn Morris (WRU), John Carvill (IRFU)
Citing Commissioner: Murray Whyte (IRFU)
TMO: Tim Hayes (WRU)
 

Next Home Game:
Munster welcome Ospreys to Irish Independent Park, Cork next Friday November 4^th at 7.35pm. Tickets can be purchased online here or from the Munster Rugby Ticket Offices at Irish Independent Park and Thomond Park.